A woman's voice

4.45pm Thursday 16th September 2010

And so after a little break I'm back...

It's worth it to say that Pope Benedict XVII arrived in the UK today for his first Papal visit to the UK against the background of controversy surrounding the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church over the last five years of his papacy... And with curious eyes I watch the live broadcast of his arrival to British shores...

Here I am at the Southbank Centre. I've been invited to be in the audience for a live BBC radio broadcast of the show "World Have your say". The topic? The Millennium Development goals and the role of Women... how wonderfully apt!

My year's journey has been all about development... development of self, art, life, goals...

As I enter the Queen Elizabeth Hall and I'm greeted by smiling women, emanating a warm welcome, I'm reminded why I'm on this journey...

Dance

The one thing I am so very passionate about, the one thing I feel deeply can change people's lives, where people tell stories, and become..

Where young people train to become the artists of tomorrow, where the human condition can emerge through expression of art. It enables us all to realise we are really no different from the next person.


21.16pm

I've just left the reception that was held after the debate. The debate itself I will talk about tomorrow.. the mix of people, the stories of their journeys, the heat of discussion about the very simple things was inspiring.

The connection that an individual has to the outside world is one that becomes innate and inherent to the situation that person is surrounded by. For the first time in three months even though I had no connection to the Millennium Development Goals (by the way I realised because I was unafraid to ask very few in the audience understood it to be an initiative by the United Nations to assist impoverished nations over a 14 year period) I found my enquiry was met with open arms and immense debate.

Narrative and journey. These are the things that we all relate to and understand. Regardless of background.

So as I sit at the Southbank, glass of red wine in hand and speaking to you about my day, I know that my soul has been fed. I feel revitalised in a way that I haven't been in three months. I feel alive and connected to the outside world.